Distributing-fan.



No. 892,553. PATENTED JULY '7, 1903. L. E. ROBY.& C. A. PATTISON.

DISTRIBUTING PAN.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 7, 190'I.

I 2 SHBETSSHEET 1.

No. 892,553. PATENTED JULY 7, 1908. L. E. ROBY & C. A. PATTISON.

DISTRIBUTING FAN.

APPLICATION FILED 001'. 7, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUTHER E. ROBY AND CLARENCE A. PATTISON, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS;

DISTRIB UTING-FAN.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LUTHER E. R031 and CLARENCE A, PATTISON, citizensof the United States, residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDistributingFans; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has reference to certain new and useful improvements inbroadcast seed distributers, commonly known as distributing fans,employed more particularly on seeding machines for distributingbroadcast grain or other material over a field.

One of the objects which we have in view, is the construction of a lightand inexpensive fan, the blades of which are suitably stamped or pressedinto form from a single piece of sheet metal, and attaching the same toears or wings projecting from a hub, preferably of cast metal.

That the invention may be more fully understood, reference is had to thefollowing description and the drawings forming a part thereof, in whichFigure 1 is a perspective view on a somewhat reduced scale, of ourimproved distributing fan; Fig. 2 is an elevation, partially in section,of the fan shown in Fig. 1 3 is a perspective view, of one of the bladesof the fan; Fig. 4 is a cross section through the outer portion of theblade shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a plan view of a blade, partiallyin section. I

Like numerals indicate parts throughout the figures.

In the drawings, 1 denotes a tubular hub corresponding of suitablelength from the-upper half of which projects a plurality of wings orears 2 which are preferably integral with the said hub, and in fact, inthe construction of the fan, it is desirable that the hub be made ofcast metal and capable of being attached to a shaft passing through thehub, which may be connected thereto, by passing a pin throughperforations 3 in the lower ortion of said hub and through a corresponring perforation in a shaft to which the same may be attached.

The blades of the fan are referred to generally as 4, and unlike the hub1, are made from sheet metal, such as galvanized iron or other suitablematerial. The blades are duplicates of each other and it is intended inSpecification of Letters Patent.

App1ication filed October 7, 1907.

Patented July '7', 1908.

Serial No. 396,233

the manufacture of the same to stamp or press them by a single operationinto the form shown in Fig. 1 or more particularly as seen in Fig. Bysuch operation, a blade is formed with a shelf portion 5 having anirregular contour as at 6, so as to be much wider at the receiving orinner portion thereof, and narrower at the outer or discharge endthereof. Each of said blades have the side wall 7 and the over-hangingshed portion 8; the former extends from the outer end of the blade to apoint removed somewhat from the inner end thereof, and the shelf portionof the blade intermediate the inner end of said shelf portion, and theinner end of the wall 7 is provided with an approximately semi-circularcut-out portion 9, so that when the blade is adjusted to the hub, thesemi-circular portion 9 will abut with and conform to the con vexsurface of the hub 1, and the inner edge of the wall 7 will coincidewith the juncture of an ear 2 and the body of the hub to enable theinner end of the wall 7 to be secured to the ear, preferably by a rivet10, which will pass through a perforation 11 in the wall 7 of the bladeand a corresponding perforation 12 in the ear 2.

Each blade being secured to the hub in the manner just stated, theblades will over-lap each other as shown in Fig. 1, so that the innerend of the shelf portion of the blade which is provided withperforations 13 as shown in Fig. 3, may have rivets passed therethroughand through corres )onding perforations, which I have indicator as 1 1,

and which, it is understood, are provided in the shelf portions of eachof said blades. I11 this way, a blade is connected to adjacent blades,one which crosses the inner end of the shelf portion and the other whichhas the inner end of the shelf portion lying beneath the central portionof said blade so that each of the blades are connected to one bladethrough perforations 18 and to another blade through the perforations14.

The shed portion 8, been referred to, overlies considerable of the outerend of the shelf portion 5 of the blade and the longitudinal edgethereof, is carried obliquely inward and merges into the upper edge ofthe wall 7 at a point sufficiently removed from the inner end of thewall 7, so as not to interfere with the connection of the wall with anear of the hub, but more particularly to not interfere with thedischarge of grain or other material from above, down onto the inner orreceiving portions of the shelves of the blades; Y tion of breakage ofthe blades of the fan in and the walls of said blades have an irregularcontour at a point, approximately as at 15; that is to say, the walls,as shown in Fig. 5, are bent outwardly and then forwardly, which givesto the outer end of said blades, a much wider sweep than at the innerends thereof, and the grain or other material as it falls onto the shelfportions, will hug closely the bend formed in the blade where the shelfand wall portions unite and be protected from discharge therefrom in theprovision of the shed, until said grain reaches the outer end of saidblades. To insure a wide sweep of the grain or material as it leaves thefan, we prefer to incline the blades upwardly as shown in Fig. 2, and toround the outer ends of the walls of said blade, as best seen in Figs. 1and 4.

It will be observed from an examination of Fig. 1, that from the mannerin which we have constructed the inner ends of the blades where theyjoin the hub, that they have the appearance of being a part of the hub,which obviates any cracks or open spaces between each of the receivingportions of the blades and between said blades and the hub, so thatthere is no possible chance for grain or other material which may bedischarged onto the fan, passing through orbetween the blades or theblades and the hub, and that its discharge from said blades isoccasioned by the rotating movement thereof, which will cause the grainor material to pass along the shelf portions of the fans and beneath thesheds of the blades until it reaches the outer ends of said blades fromwhich it is distributed broadcast.

We are aware that distributing fans have been made entirely of castmetal, having blades with over-hanging shed portions and which have beenpeculiarly shaped to insure a broadcast distribution of materialtherefrom, and wherein the blades and hub portions have been castintegral. aware that others have attempted to construct a fan entirelyof sheet metal, but for one reason and another, they have not proved asuccess.

One of the greatest troubles that an operator has in the use ofbroadcast distributing machines, is that fans which are made entirely ofcast metal, will break in the accidental engagements of the blades withobstructions, which puts the machine out of commission and manufacturershave experienced great difficulty in shipping their machines andinsuring that the fans will reach their destinations without becomingbroken. This breakage of fans is not only an inconvenience but hasproven an expensive proposition in the manufacture of broadcastdistributing machines.

e have in devising the fan illustrated in the drawings, not onlyovercome the objecl/Ve are also shipping and in use, should the fanengage with any obstruction, but we have devised a fan which is light inconstruction and inexpensive to manufacture, the blades being stamped orpressed, from a single piece of sheet metal and very quickly and easilyassembled or connected to the hubs with which they may be attached.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

I 1. A distributing fan, comprising a hub provided with a plurality ofears, a plurality l of blades, each of said blades having a wallportion, and means for securing the inner end of the walls of saidblades to the ears of the hub.

2. A distributing fan, comprising a cast hub provided with a pluralityof ears integral therewith, a plurality of sheet metal blades whichover-lap and are riveted to each other, and also riveted to the ears ofsaid hub.

3. A distributing fan, comprising a hub provided with a plurality ofears, a plurality of blades, each bent into form from a single piece ofsheet metal and provided with shelf portions, side walls andover-hanging sheds, said side walls having an irregular contour and thelongitudinal edge of the sheds carried obliquely inwardly joined withthe upper edge of said side Walls near their'inner ends, and means forconnecting the inner ends of the side walls to the ears of the hub.

4. A blade for a distributing fan, bent into form from a single piece ofsheet metal and having a shelf portion wider at its receiving than'atits discharge end, a side wall bent approximately at right angles to theshelf portion thereof, its outer end concave and merging into anover-hanging shed portion with one edge extending obliquely inwardly andmerging into the u per edge of the inner end of the said side wafi, andthe edge of the shelf portion intermediate the inner ends of said shelfportion and the side wall provided with an approximately semi-circularcut-out portion. i

5. A distributing fan, comprising a tubular hub, the up er portion ofwhich is provided with a plurality of laterally projecting ears, aplurality of blades, each of said blades having side walls, means forsecuring the inner ends of said walls to the blades, and the inner edgesof the inner ends of said blades shaped to abut with and conform to theconvex sur face of said hub.

6. A distributing fan, comprising a hub provided with a plurality ofears, a plurality of blades, each of said blades having side walls andthe shelf-portions thereof riveted to adjacent blades on opposite sides,means for securing the inner ends of the side walls to the ears of thehub, and the inner edges of the shelf portions of the blades having anapi proximately semi-circular cut-out portion to conform to the convexsurface of said hub.

7. A distributing fan, comprising a hub provided With a plurality oflaterally projecting ears, a plurality of blades, each of said bladeshaving a shelf portion, the inner ends of Which lie beneath adjacentblades and se cured thereto, and having their inner edges conforming tothe convex surface of said hub, said blades also provided With'sideWalls, and means for connecting the inner ends of said side Walls to theears of the hub.

8. A distributing fan constructed of a plurality of blades, eachprovided with a shelf portion and With a side Wall, means for secur- 3,

In testimony whereof We aflix our signatures, in presence of twoWitnesses.

LUTHER E. ROBY. CLARENCE A. PATTISON. W'itnesses:

CHAS. WV. LA PoRTE, R0131. N. MOCORMIoK.

